Naples Real Estate Blog

The Naples community of Kensington has a single family home on the market for $1,995,000. The home has 3,363 sq ft under air with 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths and 3 garage spaces.

MLS # 208016988

If you are a lover of Golf and lifestyle then this Estate Home is the perfect match for you. This home is nestled in lush landscaping in very tranquil setting overlooking wide lake views and golf course. If you love to entertain whether indoors or out, this home offers the state of the art kitchen fit for any chef, along with outdoor kitchen and bar. This is the premier property for Casual Elegance and outdoor entertainment, with private pool, spa, outdoor fireplace surrounded by exotic plants. Every detail has been address from Custom Cabinets, Granite, Custom Backsplash, decorative painting, new appliances. Kensington is located in the heart of Naples with the Premier Golf Course as its backdrop. Kensington offers various social events, and Club house is undergoing 5M dollar renovation to make it the finest in Naples. You can have coffee in your private lanai, a round of golf, and entertain your friends at the most exquiste estate home that Kensington has to offer.

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Ruth and I have always enjoyed the “SummerJazz On The Gulf” series put on by the Naples Beach Hotel. It’s a great evening down by the beach with some cool jazz and cool drinks.

Bring your lawn chair and check the following schedule for this year which begins this Saturday.

Location: Naples Beach Hotel from 7-10 PM. Food and beverage offerings are available. No coolers.

• June 21st: Mike MacArthur, saxophonist performs. Mike has toured with Maynard Ferguson.
• July 19th: Six piece group Lounge Cat will be in town. The group plays Swing, Jazz, Old School Blues, Ska, Motown and a few Latin numbers.
• August 23rd: Always a crowd favorite,Women’s Blues Revue will be here for their 10th time. The group is made up of eight of Florida’s best female blues, R&B, rock and jazz musicians.
• September 13th: The last performace of the year will be the Stacey Knights Group led by vocalist/saxophonist Stacey Knights playing Adult Contemporary and Pop/Jazz.

We highly recomment you take an evening and hit the beach with some friends for a great time.

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Happenings around Naples this summer…

• Single-family home sales in Collier County, excluding Marco Island, increased 18 percent overall with 233 sales in May 2008 compared with 197 during the same period last year, according to the Naples Area Board of Realtors Condo sales dropped four percent with 243 last month versus 254 in May 2007. The median sales price for single family homes last month was $382,000 compared with $485,000 a year ago. The median sales price for condos in May was $265,000, down from $303,000 during the same period in 2007. Marco Island figures are reported to the Florida Association of Realtors.
• Crifasi Enterprises will build a 120,000-square-foot retail and office development at the northeast corner of Santa Barbara and Davis Boulevards in Naples. Plans for Dolphin Plaza include seven restaurants, a national grocer, bank and other retail services. Construction will be completed by late summer of 2009.
• Five national and specialty retailers will open at The Mercato, at U.S. 41 North and Vanderbilt Beach Road in Naples. They are Femme Fatale, GiGi’s Children’s Boutique, JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, Solstice Sunglass Boutique and Swim ‘n Sport. Construction is under way on each of the new locations. They are expected to open in early 2009.
• Fossil and Stroke will be opening at Coconut Point in Estero.
• The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples have both earned Florida Green Lodging Certification, a voluntary and non-regulatory program created by the State of Florida. To be considered for certification, the resorts implemented a variety of green practices in the areas of communication, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste reduction and clean air.

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Alright people, it’s June, let’s update the listing photos or you can just keep it on the market for another six months and be right in season. Ho, ho, ho.

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On the market is an Olde Naples condo located on 5th Avenue in the heart of Naples, Florida. With 2,651 sq ft under air, this 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo is right where all the action is and it comes with your own garage space.

MLS # 207040796

Enjoy southwestern sunset views and unparalleled access to Naples finest shopping and dining from this exclusive and rarely available 5th Avenue South penthouse. As one of only two residential units in the building this penthouse has no shared walls and offers the solitude of a single family home with the ease of condominium living. Access to the third floor is granted by entering a private code in the elevator offering safety and security 24 hours a day. The unit is beautifully appointed with such upgrades as wood and marble flooring, marble baths, volume ceilings, custom window treatments, built in entertainment center and much more.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning of a new real estate phenomenon that is being called “buy and bail”.

In markets hit hardest by falling home prices and rising foreclosures, lenders and brokers are discovering a new phenomenon: the “buy and bail,” in which borrowers with good credit buy a new home — often at a much lower price — then bail out of the “upside down” mortgage on their first home.

This is dangerous territory which has some lenders and real estate agents calling it mortgage fraud. With the mortgage industry being turned upside down by all it’s current problems, buyers are finding this approach easy to pull off in a lot of cases.

The downside to all of this is that the homeowner who foreclosues on their previous home will have a big bite taken out of their credit and won’t be able to buy another home for five years under the new Fannie Mae guidelines.

It seems quite likely that all the institutions will begin to crack down on this practice and put in some strict regulations and I expect also a better effort to monitor this activity much closer.

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OK, I’m not sure what is actually represented here, but this is a photo that actually appeared on a MLS website advertising a property. Ancient hieroglyphics perhaps, but you’d need Indiana Jones’s lantern to read it. Amazing…and agents are still wondering around in circles confused as to why their listings aren’t selling.

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This amazing condo in the Contessa high rise in Bay Colony is on the market for $2,399,000. Perched on the 15th floor, this unit has 2,297 sq ft under air with 2 bedrooms plus a den and 3 full baths. You’ll never have a hard time getting out of bed when you have a master bath like below, make your morning coffee in a fabulous kitchen and then enjoy the view from your lanai.

MLS # 208006880

Fabulous direct beachfront living in Bay Colony. This 15th Floor home in the sky has been completely renovated with gorgeous marble flooring, fabulous kitchen with beautiful cabinetry and granite countertops, 3 sensational bathrooms and stunning decorator touches throughout with extensive renovations and window dressings. POOLSIDE CABANA is included in the purchase. There are DRAMATIC GULF VIEWS from every room and a wonderful floor plan offering two spacious screened lanais to watch the dolphins play in the morning and to view the spectacular sunsets. There is a surround sound throughout the entire residence for your pleasure. The Contessa is completing a major exterior building and grounds renovation that the new Buyer will enjoy with no assessment passed on.

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Decorators always recommend neutral colors when trying to sell your home. However, if you don’t agree with that professional advice and believe everything should match, then if you paint your house turquoise be sure to paint your driveway a matching turquoise.

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Check out the latest Naples tidbits and what is going on in our hometown of Naples, Florida.

• Neighborhood America, based in Naples, Florida, has received the “Best Social Networking Solution” award from the Software & Information Industry Association.

• WCI Communities Inc. has sold Tuscany Reserve in North Naples to an international investor group. Tuscany Reserve is a 470 acre community on Livingston Road that is permitted for up to 530 homes.
• Collier County housing advocates have scheduled the 2008 Homebuyer Expo, which consists of three classes in which people looking for affordable housing options can learn about the home-buying process. The forums will be held on the first three Saturdays in June. Expo sponsors are the Collier County Housing Development Corporation, Housing and Human Services of Collier County, Collier Building Industry Association and the Naples Area Board of Realtors. For more information, visit www.collierhousing.com.

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